Exoskeletons and Ergonomic Safety within the Construction Industry: An exploratory study of the usage of heavy handheld machines
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Industrial design engineering (MPDES), MSc
Publicerad
2022
Författare
Rosén, Alexandra
Rosenquist, Isabella
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The construction industry is characterized by the usage of heavy machines and challenging
physical work. With an increasing awareness about workplace ergonomics, the demand for
safe and user-friendly equipment is growing. Husqvarna Construction is a company offering
machines for the construction industry and is currently investigating how they could
contribute to a more ergonomic usage of two of their heavy handheld machines, the core
drilling machine and the power cutter.
This thesis explores how ergonomic aids and exoskeletons could be designed to contribute to
a more ergonomic work situation for construction workers. Further, the project aims at
investigating what attitudes construction workers have toward ergonomic aids and
exoskeletons. To achieve this, user studies with the intended user group as well as literature
study of work-related musculoskeletal disorders within the construction industry have been
conducted. This resulted in an analysis of user needs and a compilation of guidelines for the
future development of an ergonomic aid.
In this thesis, it could be concluded that a construction worker’s user needs are complex.
There is a clear need for an ergonomic aid but the attitudes towards these devices within this
user group are challenging. The results also showed that an ergonomic product for the lower
back could benefit this user group the most and that a back-supporting exoskeleton could
reach a high user acceptance if it is customized to this specific target group. However, further
investigation of the long-term usage of an exoskeleton in an actual industry setting is needed
before concluding on whether an exoskeleton could provide an increased ergonomic safety or
not for users of heavy handheld machines.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Exoskeletons, ergonomic safety, heavy handheld machines, construction industry